Among the improvements, Vine will now let users choose whether or not they want posts to be public or private (think: Instagram’s protected accounts feature).

The camera has been redesigned with the addition of “grid, focus and ghost tools,” which Vine said will make capturing video much easier than before.

But perhaps the biggest, most important feature is one that isn’t quite so played-up: “Re-vining.” Think of a re-vine like a re-tweet. You’ll now be able to re-broadcast the Vine videos you see from the folks you follow in your stream.

Simple? Perhaps. But it’s also the easiest way to boost engagement — and potentially growth — on the fledgling video-sharing network. Retweeting breeds potential for virality, and virality can only help spur growth.

That’s certainly important in the wake of Instagram’s video launch, a move that essentially pits the 130-million-strong network of Instagram users directly with Vine, which is literally one-tenth Instagram’s size.

The caveat is, as I argued last week, we still don’t know who the supposed “winner” is, as it’s far too early to tell (and any comparisons aren’t exactly apples to apples, as Instagram is photos+video, while Vine is strictly video).

Also worth noting: Vine introduced 15 new thematic channels for users to browse from the explore screen, as well as an “On the Rise” category which highlights the people who are just starting to capture the attention of folks on the Vine network. If users decide to bite, these are likely additional ways of surfacing content outside of traditional hashtags. And again, more new content in users’ faces means more potential circulation and engagement.

The new update is available on iOS beginning today. Some features will roll out to Android users later this afternoon, with the full update to come to Android next week.

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